Amen

We are told that, in response to this promise, Abraham “believed the LORD” (Genesis 15: 6)—which is the first place in the Bible where believing comes up. Believe in the original Hebrew of this story is ‘aman (ah-MAHN), which has made its way into English, and we all know it as amen—only, it’s not a social cue that we’re done praying, and it’s okay to open our eyes and dig in. Amen as the final word of a prayer is a declaration of trust: “We’re done talking now, Lord. We’ve said our peace and put this matter into your hands. Now we trust you with it.”